Philip E.

I bought a very expensive XXXL coat a year or so ago and like it enough to have the sleeves taken up and have a tailor resize it for me.

Wow, over 100lbs. That is amazing. I stopped flying about 4 years ago after a flight where I had to beg for a seat belt extension. I've lost 60 so I figure I can fly again and will do so next February. Anyway congrats on the loss.

borg, you have lost a dramatic amount of weight. I imagine that you are happy with these figures. I have been hovering around 239lbs for about two weeks. I need to kick start again. I'm thinking of going back to the pre-op liquid diet for a week or so to see if it makes a difference. Anyway, congrats on the loss.

Yes, you are right.You need to eat the calories that are right for you. If you are sedentary then you'll need less than 1000 and more for an active person. I walk about 3 miles each day and and I need to stay under 1000. It is difficult since protein is a high calorie food.

I've found I need to stay a little under 1000 per day to lose weight. Any more than 1000 and I stall or put weight on. Ive lost 61 lbs. 30 before surgery and 31 after surgery in September '18

My wife died in 2011 and it was a sad day when I had to remove my wedding ring because it got to tight to wear. Just last week I was able to put it back on. I've also been able to move the car seat closer to the wheel. At work I can fit into any of the safety harnesses when using power equipment rather than the biggest harness, and my weekly grocery bill has dropped significantly.

I'm a 66 year old male. I used to be very sporty and rode my bicycle daily with friends in competition races on occasion. My wife died in 2011 and it was about then that I started eating. I went from 165lbs to 290lbs by the start of 2018. This was heavy as I am only 5' 4" tall. I had been trying all sorts of diets and methods, and exercise. I took al lot of weight off with Atkins but it all came back. My doctor was not a fan of bariatric surgery so I got things moving myself. I signed up with a hospital in Iowa and three weeks later they told me I was not a candidate because I was older than 65 years. In February'18, I found my way to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and their Digestive Disease Department. It took till March to get an appointment. At this first appointment I met with various health professionals, the Bariatric program Director, the surgeon, a Dietitian, among others who spent much time taking vitals and blood samples, and family history. Apparently my general health was good but the surgeon wanted my blood pressure down a little. Over the next three months I was on a healthy diet of green leafy vegetables and and other non carb, non fat foods Dietary wise it was the worst three months of my dieting life. However the surgeon expected me to lose about 20lbs. There were three meeting with the dietitian during those months and I was ably to produce a record fo food intake, of a sorts, and answer questions such as are you drinking the water company dry everyday, are you walking a hundred miles before breakfast each day, have you curtailed your visits to the drive-thru, and have you stopped drinking pepsi and beer. After the three months I was down to 275lbs and I thought that was pretty good. I then met with the surgeon and was told that I was fit to be a candidate for the program and that they would now submit all the paperwork to Medicare for approval. This process took another month or so, and then a month or six-weeks later I was scheduled for surgery. The whole process took over six-months. Ten days before the surgery I was put on a liquid diet of 1000 calories one day and 850 calories the next. This was a difficult diet to maintain for the time. However, by the time the surgery date came around I had lost the first 32lbs. The thy of the surgery was a little intimidating. I had had laparoscopic surgery a few years earlier for prostate cancer. That time I remember I had both my daughters with me in the ready room and at post-op. This time I was on my own as I had not told anyone of my surgery. My closest friend, my financial guy, was the only one who knew of my bariatric surgery. Everyone else thought I was going in for a hiatus hernia op. which the doc said he was going to fix on the way through. After the surgery I spent about 24 hours in a room in the surgical ward. Within three hours I was walking the hallway. I had blood tests, an urine samples taken. I have never seen an IV drip stand festooned with so many little plastic packages. By morning I had slept a few hours and got up went for a walk and stayed up either walking or sitting in a chair. The surgeon came in to visit twice and his assistant was in several times. In the mid afternoon, the whole surgical team arrived To check on everything before letting me go. The staff at the hospital were outstanding I could not fault a single person. I have been home for three weeks now and am preparing to return tomorrow to my part-time job at Lowes. I have been on pureed food for a week and ready to go to soft, Since the surgery I have lost 19 lbs. My weight today is 239.5lbs. Philip

Seems like no one really knew about or understood the constipation issue. Why didn't out doctors tell about this and how we might prepare better for it. When I called it was suggested that I give myself an enema or a suppository. I mean give me a break, when I put on all that weight over the years, my arms grew fatter, not longer.

Thanks very much. So far so good. I started back at work (part-time at Lowe's) and I bought nutrient patches at the shop. I trust that they work. I'm down to 234lbs and have sort of hit a brick wall. I guess now the weight sheds a lot more slowly. I'm eating about 800 calories a day and don't want to eat less. I sometimes wonder if 800 is enough.

Constipation was seldom, if at all, mentioned in my six-month pre-op period. However it became very relevant in my post-op liquid diet period. I was in much pain for several days until the Miralax finally kicked in. By the way, if Miralax is a shortened version of the two words, miracle laxative, it fall far short but ultimately works.